With students currently isolated because of COVID-19, stress levels are at an all-time high.
Self-isolation can be very damaging to a young individual’s mind, as humans need social contact to grow and develop properly. Studies have shown that self-isolation can lead to various health problems, including a higher risk of depression, dementia, heart disease, weakened immune system, and anxiety.
Students often receive motivation from peers through competition and enthusiasm. However, during social isolation, these incentives are eliminated.
To battle the effects of COVID-19, school districts and universities have come up with the pass/no pass policy. This policy creates a system where a letter grade C to an A will result in a pass for the class. Anything less than a C will result in a fail.
Though some think this could potentially reduce some stress and complications in distance learning, other students and parents worry that a hard-working student receiving an A is viewed equal to a student doing the bare minimum for a C. This policy has been recently implemented into the Sequoia Union High School District, however people are worried if enforced, the students could procrastinate more as high letter grades are no longer critical.
Another worry about social distancing and shelter in place policy is how it will affect enrolling in college. Students are not able to take tests, finals, the SAT, or ACT that are crucial parts of the application process.
Parents often put over-emphasis on the importance of high school grades that put students, especially in the Bay Area, in a stressful mindset where students are afraid to do poorly for fear it could result in failure for the rest of their lives.
The fear of failure, and the need to be perfect in today’s society, is one of the leading causes of procrastination.
If students realized that procrastination only delays one’s ability to work, they could eliminate the high levels of stress that come with running out of time.
